This invention relates to a method of removing iron from ground water located in a water well and of preventing production of hydrogen sulphide. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.
All underground water contains minerals and other substances which are soluble in water. Often a problem with water which flows from, or which is pumped from wells in the ground, is to remove undesirable elements which are in solution. One common undesirable element is iron and compounds containing iron. Iron compounds can produce severe discolouration which is often observed on fixtures such as sinks, bathtubs and in the water tanks on toilets. Such iron exists in a variety of forms in water including dissolved, suspended and colloidal. Usually the form of iron will shift from particulate form to colloidal form to soluble form.
When an undesirable compound is dissolved, it cannot be reduced or removed by a filtration process, leaving two possible methods for removing such a compound. A common method, especially in large water systems such as municipal water systems, is by chemical treatment in combination with filtration. A second method is by a combination of aeration and filtration. The object of the latter method is to convert the undesirable compound, which is in unfiltrable solution into either precipitates or colloids which may be removed by subsequent filtration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,186 issued Sept. 24, 1985, to Weisenbarger et al teaches an apparatus and method for the treatment of well water. In this method, aeration of the water takes place in the well above the waterline. The apparatus includes an aerator assembly which has a vertical venturi tube and a magnetic unit having at least two elongated permanent bar magnets. A bi-pass tube passes between the bar magnets and connects the upstream end of the venturi tube to the water in the discharge side of the pump. A small portion of the pumped water is polarized and aerated and then this treated water is returned to the raw water in the well.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,610 issued Apr. 15, 1986, to M. Baker describes a water well aeration system adapted to remove volatile contaminents from well water pumped through the well pipe of a well into a building. An elongate spray conduit is placed into the well pipe at a location below the top of the well and above the water level. This conduit has spray holes for spraying, aerating and recirculating a portion of the well water pumped through the well pipe with the fractional portion falling back down the well. The spray holes are selected in number and diameter to maintain adequate pressure for continued pumping of the well water through the well pipe.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unique and simple method of removing iron from ground water and/or preventing the production of hydrogen sulphide in such water before the water is pumped from a water well. It is advantageous to remove iron from the water at the first opportunity and before it leaves the well since this will prevent the iron from precipitating out in pipes and appliances located above the ground and eventually causing damage to these pipes and appliances.